Quasar: A Doctor Who Fanfiction
by RachWolfclaw
Summary: While visiting a jungle planet, the string of disappearances peaks the Doctors interest. What he and Clara find is a brutal culture of ritual sacrifice to what the inhabitants call a god. How will the Doctor save Clara when she is chosen as the creatures next sacrifice? Story four in my 5-story series.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I do not own anything in this story. Although some characters are of my own design, I take no credit for the design of the Doctor, TARDIS, or Clara or any previously created Doctor Who characters. This is a work of fiction. _

"So Clara, where do you want to go next," exclaims the Doctor as he runs around the TARDIS main control, flipping buttons as he passes by. He seems to flip them randomly but there is a sense of protocol in his actions.

Clara leans back against the railing around the TARDIS main control, making sure to stay out of the way of the Doctor. She is laughing at his antics but at his question, she stops and ponders.

"Hm…I don't know," she replies. The Doctor stops on the far side of the TARDIS and glances over at her.

"Really? You have no idea," asks the Doctor with a bemused expression on his face.

"Well," Clara says as she pushes off the railing and walks over towards him, "What kind of worlds are out there? Give me an idea of what my options are."

The Doctor lets out one curt laugh and says, "Anything! Think of anything!" He begins to pace around the TARDIS pointing in various directions as he proclaims, "How about a world entirely underwater?! Or a planet with seven suns?! Or planets where the currency is jokes…oh wait," he stops with a troubled look on his face, "I'm not allowed back there after last time…didn't realize that chickens are so offended when you question their motives, but anyway…"

He walks back over to Clara and leans against the TARDIS main console. "What's the first place that pops into your head?"

Clara thinks for a moment, hundreds of possibilities rushing through her head. Eventually, she looks up at the Doctor with a smile and says, "Take me to the Amazon."

The Doctor's face changes to that of sight disappointment. "The Amazon…well, not very original but…" He goes to flip more switches when Clara says, "But…not the Amazon."

The Doctor looks back at her and gives her a smile. "You want me to take you to the Amazon that's not the Amazon?"

Clara nods and crosses her arms, "Impress me, clever boy."

The Doctor smiles even wider and gives her a quick salute. He starts running around the TARDIS flipping more switches and soon the TARDIS engines start to sound and the ship jostles around as it normally does. Clara and the Doctor are thrown against the railing but they look over at each other and laugh.


	2. Chapter 2

After a few moments, the TARDIS engine went quiet and everything was still. Clara looked over at the Doctor and asked, "Are we here?"

"I don't know, let's find out." The Doctor grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the TARDIS exit. The Doctor flung open the door and Clara felt a wave of humidity rush through her. She also felt the solid form of the Doctor as she rammed into him from behind. The TARDIS had landed next to an incredibly large tree and the Doctor had just run into it. "Ow! Doctor!" exclaimed Clara as she rubbed her head where she had struck the Doctor.

The Doctor spun around, clutching his nose in his hand, "Well don't blame me because the TARDIS decided to parallel park in between two trees," he said with a muffled and slightly nasal voice.

Clara looked past the Doctor and slowly moved her head up, following the tree as it extended into the sky. Or where the sky should have been. Instead, the foliage of the tree spread out, intermingling with foliage from the surrounding trees, creating a textured leafy roof.

Clara started to look in all directions and she could see nothing but more trees. The ground was covered in green and vines and other flora wrapped around the trunks of the colossal tree trunks, like snakes or streamers. Taking her hand off her head, she looked back at the Doctor and asked, "Are you sure this isn't the Amazon?"

The Doctor, still holding his nose, gave the forest a quick glance and finally said, "Positive or about 95% sure. Who knows what happens in the Amazon? But judging by the colors of the flowers and the general smell of the area…" He attempted to sniff but realized he was still clasping his nose. He released it and cringed a bit but continued, "This is most likely the Forest of Feldor or as I like to say, Fof. Mind you, don't call the inhabitants Foffians or Foffers…apparently, the former is a form of unappealing gelatinous fungi on this planet and the latter is just plain silly…"


	3. Chapter 3

Clara chuckled and began to walk aimlessly around the trees, looking at all the new plants and bugs. There were some that looked like beetles from back on Earth but they were different colors. Some were even changing colors every time Clara blinked. She took in the scenery and loved how the plants weren't only green but had a faint purple tint to it. It was beautiful.

The Doctor locked up the TARDIS and started to follow her around as she explored. He began excitedly pointing out all the different organisms around "That's a Feldorian lynch beetle, there like the fire ants of this planet, nasty buggers." Noticing another bug that looked like a worm but with curved spines and a horn, he pointed and exclaimed, "Ah! And that's a Battering Worm. They literally batter their way into trees and enemies like a battering ram. But they are a lot purplier that I remembered…in fact…" The Doctor stopped and an expression of concern fell over his face. "Clara."

Clara didn't hear the Doctor the first time. She was too busy staring at an unusual flower. The flower was purple and it seemed to pulse. Every few seconds or so, a small wave of light purple would radiate from the center of each petal and continue throughout the rest of the flower. The pulses would overlap and make interesting shapes on the plan's surface. But what was truly odd about it was that it was losing petals almost every second but it would instantly began growing new ones, only to have them fall off. "Doctor, come and see this. This flower is losing its petals like mad and it's…" She turned around and was face to face with the Doctor who was looking at her with a stern face.

"Pulsing" Doctor said in a low whisper.

"Yes, it's pulsing. Look." Clara turned and pointed at the flower which was still rapidly losing its petals.

The Doctor slowly walked over and rubbed his fingers along the petals of the flower before they fell off. He then swiftly plucked the flower from the tree branch it was growing on. Even though it wasn't attached to its roots anymore, the flower continued to lose and regrow petals. It did, however, cease to pulse.

Clara walked up slowly and stood at his side staring at where the flower had been. "Doctor, look. It's growing back."

The Doctor looked down and watched as an identical flower grew in the exact spot as the other. The flower blossomed in under thirty seconds. Unlike the other one, this one did not lose petals instantaneously. It began pulsating almost instantly and this time, the pulses radiated throughout the flower and continued onto the neighboring flora.

The Doctor looked back at his flower, which was still alive in between his fingers. "That is odd…very odd indeed."

Clara looked up at the Doctor, "Wait, you mean that's not supposed to happen?" Suddenly, the flower in the Doctor's fingers dissolved into purple smoke and drifted away. The Doctor followed the smoke as it drifted upward and eventually dissipated. "No Clara, it's not…not since the last time I was here…" The Doctor started to slowly look around at the rest of the trees.

Clara followed suit. She could faintly see the pulsing occurring in all the trees around her, even the leaves on the tree tops were steadily pulsing the same light purple waves. "How long has it been since you were here? And what isn't supposed to happen? The pulsing or the smoky flower?"

"Neither should be happening or maybe it just wasn't happening before. Last time I was here, it was eighty years ago. Well, eighty for the planet, about two hundred for me…maybe I just didn't notice but…"

The Doctor started feeling leaves and other plants at random. He placed his hand on various tree trunks and closed his eyes. He opened them and without taking his eyes off the sky of foliage, he continued, "Planets usually don't change this rapidly in eighty years. The trees are giving off a sort of energy transmission that I can't pin point"

He slipped his hand into his jacket and pulled out the sonic screwdriver. He pointed it at the tress and activated it. It let off its normal vibrations and after a second, the Doctor flipped it and looked at the readings.

The Doctor began to examine one of the beetles he had pointed out before which was flying by his face. He plucked it from the air and held it in between his fore finger and thumb. "For example…these beetles didn't have wings before…" The Doctor dropped the beetle and it started buzzing. Wings came out of its back and it flew away.

Suddenly, in midair, the beetle turned into a drop of purple liquid and dropped to the ground. It spattered on the leaves and instantly, reformed into the beetle but this time, the beetle had a horn attached to its head.

The Doctor pointed the screwdriver at it and read the readings again, his face becoming even more puzzled than before.

The Doctor and Clara, who had walked over to stare at the bug, watched in awe as it flew away. "And things usually don't evolve that quickly…" he said in a soft whisper, still staring at the screwdriver. Clara was still watching at the bug when the Doctor, put the screwdriver back in his jacket, grabbed her hand and started pulling her through the forest. "Doctor, where are we going?"

The Doctor looked back and gave her a smile, "We're going to see the volcano!" He laughed and ran even faster. Clara smiled back but she couldn't stop herself from looking up at the foliage above. To her, it seemed to pulse even more.


	4. Chapter 4

The Doctor ran through the forest, dragging Clara behind him in his wake. Clara tried to keep up with the Doctor but she was still fascinated by the forest around her. The purple waves seemed to follow them as they ran and it shimmered off the leaves of the treetops.

The Doctor began to slow down but when Clara turned to him, she froze. About one hundred feet in front of them was a large horse like creature, grazing on the plants. It had the head of a horse but its neck was flexible like a snake and it had six hooves instead of four. It was also green and brown like camouflage. If Clara stopped focusing on it, it seemed to disappear into the background. The only thing that kept the horse creature in sight was the fact that it didn't pulse purple.

Without taking her eyes off the creature, and without letting go of the Doctor's hand, Clara asked, "Doctor, what is that?"

The Doctor, wide eyed with his mouth slightly open, didn't respond.

Clara looked up at him and with a bit of worry, said, "Doctor..."

A wide smile appeared on the Doctor's face and he exclaimed, in a whispered tone, "That is incredible!" He let go of Clara's hand and threw his hands towards the creature. "Last time, I was here, it was just a normal boring horse but now look at it!"

The creature jumped and looked over at the Doctor with wide eyes. It didn't run but it seemed to examine the Doctor intently.

The Doctor started talking directly to the horse creature, "You're magnificent, aren't you? But how did this happen? What made you into this? I mean, you're cool but things don't tend to sprout legs and change colors…" As he spoke, he walked slowly towards the creature which continued to stare at him.

Meanwhile, Clara caught a slight movement at the corner of her eye. She turned to her right but nothing was there. She looked back at the Doctor but he was busy trying to approach the creature. She saw the movement again and this time when she looked, she locked eyes with a small boy.

He had been hiding behind the tree and peeking out at her. He came out from behind the tree and stood facing her head on. He looked to be about seven or eight and was incredibly dark skinned. His brown hair was cropped short and sloppily like it had been cut with a knife. He was lean and was only wearing shorts that were made of the camouflage fur that the horse had.

Clara looked at his eyes and froze where she was. They were glowing a light purple and were hypnotic. She could only hear a faint echo of the Doctor calling her name.


	5. Chapter 5

The Doctor, after calling Clara's name multiple times, turned his attention away from the horse and yelled, "Clara!" just before he noticed the boy. He eyed him curiously and then gave him a wide smile, "Why hello there!"

He walked towards him but the boy jumped back and pulled out a small bone knife from behind his back. He focused his attention on the Doctor, breaking eye contact with Clara.

Clara shook her head and felt a wave of dizziness fall over her. Her vision became blurred and as she looked around, the purple waves looked distorted. They still pulsed but they bent differently…they looked like they were rebounding off walls and the outlines of...people.

Clara slowly shut her eyes and then she felt nothing. She opened her eyes and saw the Doctor throw his hands defensively up at the boy.

The Doctor and the boy stood and stared at each other. After a few moments, the Doctor straightened up and adjusted his bowtie. He gave the boy a half smile and said softly, "Okay…let's try this again. I'm the Doctor and this," gesturing towards her, "is Clara."

Clara stepped forward and, giving him a sweet smile, asked, "Well, what's your name then?" She made sure to avoid his eyes.

The boy's eyes darted between the two of them and he slowly lowered his knife. He eyed them for another few moments before he said, "Ter-lake."

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Ter-lake." The Doctor took a step forward and held his hand out towards the boy. The boy took a step back and stared at the Doctor's hand. The Doctor sighed and dropped his hand. "Well anyway, I'm wondering, Ter-lake…" he turned back towards the horse creature which was still watching the Doctor and hadn't moved. "What is this horse…thing?

Ter-lake, giving Clara and the Doctor questioning looks, responded, "It is a Forest Shade. Everyone in the forest knows about them. Where in the forest do you live?"

"Uh…well, let's say the sky. No need for horses there…unless you have flying horses…now that would be something to be concerned about…"

Ter-lake lost all composure and started laughing, startling Clara with his sudden change of demeanor. "Flying Forest Shades! That would be so much fun." He broke into a run and sprinted at the Forest Shade. He darted around the Doctor and took a running jump at the Forest Shade. The Shade bent down low enough for Ter-lake to land comfortably on its back.

Ter-lake gave the Doctor and Clara a toothy grin and beckoned for them to join him on the Shade. Doctor looked back at Clara who responded by running towards the Shade. The Shade bent down and let Clara climb on top of it. She slid behind Ter-lake and held her hand down for the Doctor. The Doctor smiled and joined them on the Shade.

Ter-lake put a hand on either side of the Shade's neck and asked, "Do you wanna see my village?"

"We would love to, right Clara" responded Doctor, "but could we see the volcano first?"

Ter-lake laughed again and pointed in a random direction. The Shade started galloping in that direction, gracefully bounding over the branches and roots of the trees. Ter-lake turned his head back towards his fellow riders and started laughing again. Clara and Doctor couldn't help but smile back but Clara still felt a flash of dizziness as his eyes passed over them. She wondered if the Doctor felt it, too.

He didn't.


	6. Chapter 6

The green-purple of the forest passed like a blur as the Shade galloped gracefully through the trees. Ter-lake's laughter echoed throughout the forest and whistled through Clara's ears. His eyes were starting to affect her even more. Instead of running through a forest, it looked more like they were running though a labyrinth. The outlines of the walls seemed to solidify even though the Shade would run through like they were never there.

Clara shut her eyes and took a deep breath again. She suddenly felt a rush of warmth on her face and as she opened her eyes, she had to squint as the light of the sun beat down on her. They had burst through the cover of the trees and were now running through an open pasture of green and purple grass swaying in the wind. Once her eyes adjusted, she realized that the trees had thinned and now there was a clear sky above her. It was blue like back home and the clouds looked like any other clouds but of course, she could faintly see the tint of purple among the blue and a purple lining as the clouds floated above her.

The Doctor leaned in close to her ear, yelling over the sound of the wind, "Look to your right, that's the famous Feldorian volcano!"

She looked and saw exactly what she expected: rising high above the trees was a volcano with a thin funnel at the top. It practically shined against the blue sky. All subtlety of the purple tint was lost; the mountain looked like it was made of amethyst. To Clara, it was beautiful.

All that worried her was the thick cloud of thick violet smog rising from the top; it covered a portion of the sky but seemed to fade as it blew further from the mountain. "Doctor," she yelled back at him, "should we be worried about the volcano erupting?"

Ter-lake giggled and leaned towards the volcano. The Shade changed course and started running directly at the volcano and its speed increased. The wind blowing past them grew louder and Clara closed her eyes as they began to water.

The Doctor leaned in close to her ear, and as loud as he could in a hushed tone, said, "Well, Ter-lake doesn't seem to be worried about it but this volcano wasn't even active when I was here last. Maybe we'll have a closer look at it. Who knows what we'll find but you probably wouldn't find it in the Amazon!"

Clara looked back and smiled at him, provoking an even wider smile from the Doctor in return. A shadow fell over them as they returned to the thick foliage cover of the forest. As they got closer to the volcano, the air around them seemed to vibrate. Clara looked around and saw that the pulses were even more evident, brighter and louder than before. Both she and the Doctor watched in awe as the waves seemed to pulsate like a heartbeat.


	7. Chapter 7

The trees began to thin and it was possible to see sections of the sky through the treetops. The sky rippled like waves in a pool of water.

Suddenly, the Shade slid a halt, causing Clara and the Doctor to slide forward, flipping over the Shade's head. They fell to the ground in a heap, cushioned by a pile of leaves that had fallen from the trees above. Ter-lake, who had anticipated the Shade's movement, had slid off to the side and was laughing at the Doctor and Clara as they tried to untangle themselves from each other and the ground.

Clara looked around and noticed that they were near the edge of the forest. Ahead of them was another clearing and the faint outlines of huts. Smoke was rising from them but it contrasted greatly against the backdrop of the amethyst volcano looming high above them. Clara did not realize how close they were to the volcano but even so, it was more magnificent up close.

The Shade snorted and then turned around, sprinting off into the forest, its fur rippling and blending with the surrounding trees. Ter-lake waved at it as it left and then leaped at the Doctor who had just stood up. He grabbed the Doctor's hand, exclaiming, "Come, come see my village!" He began to pull him towards the village. When he passed by Clara, he clasped her hand and began dragging her along.

Clara turned to the Doctor and said, "Wasn't this kid threatening us with a knife before? Why is he suddenly dragging us right to where he lives?"

The Doctor waved a finger and said, "I was thinking that too, Clara, and I only have two explanations: either this is a trap…or he realized how fun we are. Either way, this is a lot more interesting than the Amazon back on Earth. No one's plotting to kill you there…except those darn chimpanzees…"

Clara looked up at the volcano, "and there isn't a mountain like that on Earth either."

The Doctor's face changed from an expression of amusement to that of worry. "Well, that shouldn't be here either. I mean, the volcano, yes, but the purple smog is new."

They left the cover of the trees and were running across a dirt-covered plain. As they drew closer, Clara and the Doctor could see that the huts were made of branches and formed a small village-town. Men with spears were standing guard around the perimeter; women and children could be seen running around the grounds.

The guards saw them coming and at first readied their spears, but upon seeing Ter-lake, they glanced at each other and then relaxed. As Ter-lake pulled them past, Clara looked up at their faces. She noticed how they displayed curiosity and slight suspicion but then she looked them in the eyes.

They were purple like Ter-lakes, and with the same effect. The world around her blurred and she could see the walls and the outlines of the people again. They were more vivid and she almost felt like she could touch them.

Then the dizziness hit her. She stumbled over her feet and fell onto the ground. She closed her eyes again but the dizziness didn't go away. She started hearing voices, unsure if they were real or effects of their eyes.

Their eyes…

As soon as Clara fell, Ter-lake and the Doctor stopped and looked back at her. The Doctor pulled away from Ter-lake and kneeled beside her. "Clara. Clara!" He lightly tapped her, trying to provoke a response.

He felt her pulse and her head; regular pulse and no temperature. But something was wrong…He needed to get her somewhere safe and quiet, away from the crowd of natives who were slowly gathering around them.

Without looking away from Clara, he yelled, "Ter-lake, I need somewhere for Clara to lie down. Where can I go?"

When he got no response, he turned to Ter-lake who was staring at Clara wide eyed. "Ter-lake!" The boy shook his head and focused on the Doctor. The Doctor repeated himself, this time with more authority, "Ter-lake, I need somewhere for her to lie down. Bring me someplace."

Ter-lake nodded vigorously and started pushing through the crowd. The Doctor picked up Clara and started to follow him, trying to avoid the mass of hands trying to touch Clara. Once he broke through, he struggled to keep up with Ter-lake who was jogging through the village, narrowly avoid people carrying food and other things. The Doctor almost lost him.

Clara felt the Doctor pick her up and start moving but her head seemed to sway independently of the rest of her. She didn't dare to open her eyes and eventually she drifted off to sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

Ter-lake eventually ran into a hut with a door way covered by a cloth. The Doctor brushed past it and entered a small room with two beds on either side of the hut. There was a small fire pit in the middle of the floor. Ter-lake was standing near one of the bed and looking anxiously at the Doctor.

The Doctor walked over and gently placed Clara down on the bed. He brushed her hair out of her face and looked for any sign of her waking up. She was breathing steadily.

The Doctor stood up and pulled out the sonic screwdriver. He quickly scanned Clara from head to toe and read the readings. It showed her as normal. The Doctor glanced from the screwdriver to Ter-lake who was curiously staring at the screwdriver.

"Ter-lake, can you find me some water and cloths?"

When Ter-lake didn't move, the Doctor moved in so that he was looking straight down at him. He said, more sternly, "Ter-lake, please go get me some water and cloths."

Ter-lake nodded nervously again and ran through another door with a cloth in the back of the hut, leading to another room.

As soon as the cloth covering the door fell, the Doctor spun in a 360, scanning the entirety of the hut. The readings were the same as before: energy was flowing through the earth and anything living.

Only this time, the energy was starting to pulse through Clara.


	9. Chapter 9

The Doctor looked from his screwdriver to Clara resting peacefully on the bed, a hint of concern in his eye. He breathed deeply and put his sonic screwdriver back in his coat pocket.

At this moment, Ter-lake walked in with a clay bowl filled with purple tinted water and a brown cloth flung over his shoulder. He held it out to the Doctor. He had a slightly scared expression on his face.

The Doctor looked down at the water and then looked at Ter-lake and asked sternly, "Is this water safe?"

Ter-lake's face went from fear to complete puzzlement. "Yes, it is the drinking water."

The Doctor eyed the water suspiciously but reluctantly took the water and the cloth from Ter-lake. He grabbed a wooden chair that was in the room and sat next to Clara's bedside. He dipped the cloth in the water, wrung it out, and placed the dam cloth on Clara's head. She stirred a little when the water touched her forehead but she did not wake up.

The Doctor smiled and then kissed her on the forehead. He sprung up and looked directly at Ter-lake with the same stern expression as before. He strode right up to him until he was literally inches away from him. The Doctor leaned down and looked Ter-lake directly in the face.

"I am going to explore the village," the Doctor said quietly. "You are to stay here," putting extra stress on the word 'here.' Ter-lake gulped but continued to listen. "If Clara wakes up before I get back, you are to tell her to wait for me and then you are to come find me. Do not wander about, do not get distracted. Do you understand?"

Ter-lake gulped again and nodded slowly.

The Doctor backed away and then swiftly turned and headed out the door towards the rest of the village. Ter-lake let out a deep breath and sat in the chair next to the bed.

Ter-lake nor the Doctor noticed the lone tear that slid down Clara's face and then fell to the floor.

Clara could hear the muffled voice of the Doctor but it sounded far away and was more of an echo. She couldn't see anything for the longest time. It was simply black. She could see herself simply standing in a world of darkness. She tried to call out for the Doctor but no sound came out.

She looked around nervously for something, anything besides the pure blackness around her.

She began to hear faint whispers coming from all around her. She looked around with greater urgency but still saw nothing. The whispers got louder and she could discern what they were saying:

"Who…?"

"Outsiders…"

"Where…?"

She collapsed to her knees and tried to block out the whispers which were increasing in volume until they were practically screaming in her head. She clamped her hands over her ears but it had no effect. She kept calling for the Doctor's help but how could he hear her over the shouting whispers?

She suddenly felt a cool sensation on her head and then a slight pressure on her forehead, like a kiss. Despite the excruciating noise from the voices, Clara smiled, a tear rolling down her cheek.


	10. Chapter 10

The Doctor rushed out of the hut and stood among the bustling villagers who were rushing about, carrying various fruits and crafts. People would often look and stare at him but none would stop, they simply acknowledged him and then went on their way.

A majority of people were heading in one particular direction so the Doctor followed the masses. Again, no one seemed bothered by his appearance despite his bowtie, overalls, and coat contrasting against the camouflage colored cloth of the village.

Eventually, he found himself in what appeared to be the center of the village where dozens of men and women were gathering around ad trading goods with one another. There did not seem to be a monetary system but a trading system.

The Doctor saw people exchanging various meats for stranger looking fruits. He also saw more of the camouflage cloth that the villagers wore.

At first, the Doctor simply stood and marveled at all the different and exotic items being passed about. More villagers poured in and would often bum into him. After a few bump and looks, the Doctor decided to be a part of the spectacle.

He strode up to as many traders as possible and began inspecting everything. Traders began to notice him and started shouting their offers at him:

"1 pound of beetle chips for whatever you got!"

"I have fresh Foffian! Still moist!"

"Come on, mister! What would you give for two slices of Shade meat?"

The Doctor smiled and eventually walked over to one women selling Shade furs. She instantly tried to offer him the furs but the Doctor put a hand up and said, "I'm not here for the furs I'm afraid, although they are lovely and would make an excellent bow tie. I'm actually here for information or a story or two."

The women looked at him curiously but she wrapped up her furs and gave all her attention to the Doctor. "So what kind of story can I give you? I'm sorry, I don't even know your name and you don't know mine. I'm Heryet." She smiled and leaned towards him.

"Call me the Doctor." He smiled back but his smile dropped when he got a good look at her. Her eyes shimmered purple like the rest of her people but the Doctor noticed how her eyes were different shapes altogether; one was wider than the other. He could also discern different patches of skin on her face which were different tones. One ear also had two lobes. It looked as if someone had patched this woman together, doing a poor job at it.

"Are you well Doctor?" The woman eyed him curiously and went to touch his forehead. The Doctor grabbed her hand and instantly saw that she had six fingers. A small misshapen finger was attached to her index finger and looked more like a wart than a finger.

"Yes, I'm fine. So tell me, Heryet. How long have you lived in this village?"

Heryet seemed surprised by the question. "My whole life has been spent here. Where else would I go?"

"Right then. Well, I was here a while back and I don't remember the volcano doing that." He gestured toward the mountain that loomed over the market place, thick smog rising and circling the top.

"The mountain? It has done that for some time, before my birth. You have been here before? How long ago was that? Was it before-"

Heryet was cut off by a scream that echoed through the crowd. Everyone stopped and looked in one direction, straining to see what had happened. The Doctor jumped up and followed their gaze until he ended up at a man selling meat.

There was blood everywhere and there was a small by screaming and clutching his hand. From the looks of it, it seemed like the butcher had been slicing meat and this boy misplaced his hand and was cut by the man's bone cleaver.

The crowd of people simply stared and made no move to help the boy. The Doctor pushed through and went to comfort the child in obvious pain. He looked towards the people staring and exclaimed, "Well are you just going to stand there? Find me some bandages or-"He stopped when he looked back towards the boy and his injury.

The boy had stopped crying and was only quietly sobbing. The large slice on his hand that nearly removed his thumb was healing on its own. The skin was stitching itself back together at an alarming rate and the blood flow ceased altogether.

The Doctor glanced at the crowd around him who were all transfixed by the rapid healing. The Doctor discretely pulled put the sonic screwdriver and scanned the phenomenon of the healing. Readings showed a surge of energy flowing into the cut, accelerating the healing process.

However, just as the cut was about to close, another appendage starting to grow out of the cut. Soon the boy not only had a repaired thumb but he had a smaller finger growing out of the side of it.

Once the cut had healed, the crowd dispersed and continued their trade as if nothing had occurred. Soon, only the Doctor and the boy were left sitting there on the ground. The boy didn't attempt to run off, he was still staring at his new thumb and wart-like finger.

The Doctor grabbed the boy's hand and brought it close to his face. The boy did not protest. The Doctor examined it thoroughly and then whispered softly to himself, "This is not right…just not right at all."

Clara woke up to find herself in what looked like a hut. She had a damp cloth on her head and was lying down on a crude bed. He looked around and caught sight of the boy from the forest, Ter-lake. He was sitting in a chair, staring intently at her.

Clara pushed herself into a sitting position and the room started spinning. She closed her eyes and felt better.

"Ter-lake, where's—" she went to stand up but Ter-lake sprung from the chair and pushed her back down.

"Stay! I will find mate!" He ran out the door and left her there.

She eyed him curiously as he rushed out. "—the Doctor…wait, what do you mean 'mate'?


	11. Chapter 11

The Doctor released the boy's hand and looked around at the dispersing crowd. He ran up to random figures, grabbing their hands and faces, trying to find more anomalies. And find them he did.

He found numerous people with multiple fingers, even saw a few people with more toes than usual. He found people with tiny eyes growing on random parts of their face.

The Doctor found one woman who seemed to have an ear growing out of her hand. He grabbed it and whispered "Hello, how are you?"

The woman flinched and replied "I'm fine but please go." She tried to walk off but the Doctor stood in her path.

"Look, I'm sorry to bother you, but I'm just curious, terribly curious, so curious I'm rambling. Anyway, I'd like to know if you know how long things like that," he pointed towards the ear on her hand, "have been happening. I'm sure it can't be normal, it didn't happen last time I was here, then again I wasn't as sharp then as I am now."

The woman didn't reply at first and seemed puzzled beyond comprehension. She gave the Doctor an odd look which the Doctor kindly returned.

She shook her head and looked at her hand-ear. "Well, this happened to me when I was a young girl. I know my mother had her third eye grow in when she was young as well so at least as far back as then."

"Fantastic," said the Doctor, clapping his hands together. "Well, thank you for a straight-ish answer. How old is your mother, if you don't mind my asking?"

"She is 27 Feldor-Solstice days old."

The Doctor's smile dropped slightly, "um…yes…well…um that means nothing to me. How old is she in Feldor Moon-cycles?"

"What's a Moon-Cycle?"

"It's uh…well never mind. Thank you, have a nice day…or evening." The Doctor turned away and started murmuring to himself. He scratched his head vigorously and started pacing in the middle of the road, bumping into people passing by.

Suddenly, he felt a tugging on his jacket. He turned and came face to face with Ter-lake who looked exceptionally giddy. "Ter-lake, my friend, nice to see you but how's Clara?"

Ter-lake gave him a big but warm smile and replied, "Your mate is awake. Come back." Ter-lake whipped around and started running back towards the hut.

The Doctor smiled at the idea of Clara being okay but his face changed to that of puzzlement and he started following Ter-lake, yelling, "Mate?!"


	12. Chapter 12

Ter-lake had only been gone a few minutes and Clara already felt restless and confined to the small hut. She constantly rose from the bed and wandered around the room, examining the objects around her.

It looked very primitive to say the least. Everything was made of fur and wood, there was meat hanging in the corner, the fire pit in the middle was merely a ring of rocks with wood in the center. Clara actually found it a bit charming.

"NNNOOOO! PLEASE!" A piercing shriek came from outside that would have shattered windows if there was glass. Clara jumped and instinctively ran outside to investigate.

She burst through the hut and looked around for the source of the scream. The people milling around her had their heads down and seemed uninterested in wherever the scream came from. Clara noticed that, a few huts down, there stood about a dozen or so figures garbed in black cloaks standing around a wooden cart. Black hoods covered their faces.

Three of the cloaked figures were standing around a woman who was on her knees sobbing intensely. Just then, two more cloaked figures came from the hut behind her, guiding a young girl who looked around sixteen with them towards the cart.

The young girl did not seem to resist the figures but the woman on the ground, who Clara guessed was her mother, frantically tried to grab hold of the girl. She was held back by the three other figures surrounding her.

"No! Please! Not my Anelle! You promised she would be safe! Please no!" The woman kept trying to break free of the cloaked figures but they roughly pushed her back onto the ground. The two with the girl never even glanced back. The girl, Anelle, looked back sadly at her mother but then turned away and went with the cloaked figures to the cart.

She climbed in willingly and the mother's shrieks only increased and she began thrashing and swinging at the figures.

Clara rushed forward towards the figures, yelling "Stop, hey, stop!" but she felt her arm grabbed from behind. She whipped around and came face to face with one of the men of the village. She made sure to avoid the eyes.

"What are you doing?! Let me go, we have to help her!" Clara tried to break free of the man's grasp but another man grabbed her arm and pulled her back. Soon, more townspeople began pulling her away.

Clara struggled against them but could only watch in vain as the cloaked figures threw the woman down and left with the cart and the daughter towards the forest. The woman broke down and cried to herself on the ground, no one comforting her.

The townspeople pushed Clara away from the scene back towards her hut. When Clara tried to go towards the woman, the townspeople blocked her. She looked at them in disbelief and exclaimed, "You wouldn't let me help her and now I can't even see if she's alright?! What's the matter with you?"

One man stepped forward and said, "No one interferes with the Cult of Feldor. We have all lost people to them but it is the will of the Smog and we cannot interfere. Even an outsider like you should know that."

Before Clara could ask anything more, the villagers dispersed. The woman on the ground was gone. Clara suddenly felt someone behind her. She turned and saw Ter-lake standing behind her, staring somberly at the girl being carted away just as she and the Cult disappeared into the jungle.

Clara looked down at him and out her hand on his shoulder. "Ter-lake…are you alright?" She glanced over her shoulder in the direction of the Cult. "Did you know that girl? Do you know what's going on?"

Ter-lake didn't respond for a few moments and then said, "That was my sister."

Clara was taken aback but suddenly, Ter-lake grabbed her arm and started pulling her back into the hut. "Come, come, mate is back."

Clara didn't have the heart to argue.


	13. Chapter 13

The Doctor was inside the hut as Ter-lake pulled Clara in. Again, he was examining his sonic screwdriver.

Clara wrenched her wrist from Ter-lake's grasp and said, "Doctor, something bad is going on here."

The Doctor looked at her from his sonic screwdriver and replied, "You're telling me." He started pacing back and forth, pocketing the sonic screwdriver. "There's something wrong with this planet that wasn't happening before,"he continued, "like the volcano for instance and that woman's lack of knowledge for the basic unit of measurement of this planet or the magical regrown mutating thumb…"

"Doctor!" exclaimed Clara, grabbing his shoulder. The Doctor stopped and stared at her.

Clara said calmly, "They're people being taken here by some group just referred to as the Cult of Feldor."

The Doctor, awkwardly avoiding eye contact, stammered, "Oh...well... that's bad too." He looked around the cabin and then, looking back at Clara, gave a small smile. "Well, it looks like we have a mystery on our hands, Clara."

"Indeed, we do, Doctor," replied Clara, giving him a small smile back.

The Doctor clapped his hands together and exclaimed, "Aright, first thing's first or…most of time… but in this case, yes. We need information. You mentioned a kidnapping and a Cult. What did you see and what do you know, in whatever order to deem fit?"

Clara crossed her arms and thought back. "Well, they are called the Cult of Feldor. They wear black cloaks with hoods so I couldn't see their faces. No one seemed to be bothered or try to do anything to stop them and they took…" she trailed off and looked over at Ter-lake who was now sitting on the bed, swinging his feet.

Clara moved in closer to the Doctor and whispered, "And they took Anelle, Ter-lake's sister. He didn't seem overly upset about it but the woman definitely was. She was screaming about broken promises of keeping the girl safe or something."

The Doctor glanced over at Ter-lake and said nothing.

After a few moments, Clara spoke up and asked, "You said something about people having problems with measurement and mutants or something right?"

The Doctor looked back to Clara and then slowly spun around saying, "Yes." He took a few steps away from her and then turned back to her pointing and jabbing his finger. "People here have too many parts. Too many fingers, eyes and ears where they shouldn't be, I even saw a man lose his thumb just to have it grow back with a little thumb to go with it. As for the measurement thing, the system of telling time are 'Moon-Cycles' which are about three months Earth time. They now measure in Feldor-Solstice days which don't make sense because Feldor doesn't have a solstice day."

"So they measure days differently? Maybe it's more accurate."

"I thought that so I asked around found an elderly man who knew what I was talking about and…Clara…a Feldor-Solstice occurs every thirty-six Feldor-Moon Cycles or twelve years…"

"And…"

"Ter-lake!" The Doctor brushed past Clara and went to Ter-lake who looked up at the Doctor. "Ter-lake, how many Feldor-Solstices are you?

"I saw one when I was a little one and I saw one other one after that."

Clara was struck with puzzlement, "But wait, that would mean you're over twenty-four years old…"

"Right Clara…" the Doctor turned to her, "And the woman I spoke to said her mother was twenty-seven Solstice days old…so her mother's around…ohhh…"

"What is it Doctor?"

"I may have made a slight miscalculation…I wasn't here eighty years ago…it may have been more like over 300…"

"Doctor…a lot more can happen in three hundred years than eighty…"

"Indeed…" The Doctor smiled and straightened his bow tie. He turned to Clara and gave her a cheeky smile, "So let's find out what we missed."


	14. Chapter 14

"Ter-lake! I have a few more questions for you. Are you up for it?" The Doctor knelt next to Ter-lake and gave him a warm smile.

Ter-lake gave him a confused look and looked at the ceiling, "Up for what?"

"Uh…never mind. Pretend I don't know anything. Which is quite impossible since I know a lot of things like…"

"Doctor," said Clara.

"Right, um…could you tell me a bit about this Cult of Feldor?"

"They listen to the volcano."

"Right…um…well what does a volcano have to say?"

"I don't know; I'm not in the Cult."

"Can you take a guess?"

"Doctor, I don't think he knows anything," sighed Clara.

"Well, he's the closest Feldorian to us so he's first. What about the pulses in the ground?"

"The what?"

"Never mind, how do people grow back their body parts" The Doctor asked, wiggling his fingers in front of his face.

"I don't know; it just happens."

The Doctor sighed and then stood up. He walked back towards Clara and pulled her to the other end of the hut. "Alright, so far, we have people living longer than they should, people being taken by other people, and mutations that just happen."

"Yes, but it all leads back to the volcano," stated Clara.

"Exactly! The volcano's the thing! We should probably go there to investigate. Ter-lake!" The Doctor yelled the last word and Ter-lake jumped off the bed.

"Sorry, do you know how to get to the volcano?"

"Yes but you should wait until the day after tomorrow. Tomorrow's the Feldor-Solstice!" Ter-lake started jumping around in excitement. "There's food and dancing and singing and games!"

Clara smiled and said, "Well that sounds like fun. But why can't we go to the volcano? Are we not allowed?"

"No because we'll miss everything!" exclaimed the Doctor, with a big grin on his face. "What's one more day? I've never been to a Feldor-Solstice Day so let's enjoy the festivities and continue the investigation tomorrow."

Clara considered for a moment and then gave a sideways glance at the Doctor. "Sounds like a plan. But you're buying."

The Doctor gave Clara a face and went over to talk to Ter-lake, questioning him about the rest of the Solstice day.

Clara didn't realize that it had gotten dark or when she had finally gone to a cot and fallen asleep. But her dreams were filled with the pulses and the silhouettes of people milling about.


	15. Chapter 15

Clara awoke to violent shaking.

She sprang up and saw Ter-lake standing next to her bed with a huge grin on his face. "Come! Come! Solstice Day is starting!" He grabbed her hand and started pulling her towards the hut exit. Clara heard the faint sound of music and revelry

They left and stood next to the Doctor who was marveling at everything around him. Clara took a moment to absorb everything.

There were people everywhere and everyone seemed to be in a good mood. There were more stands out than before and it looked like there were small groups of people playing music on primitive looking string instruments and flutes. It gave Clara the feeling of being at a Renaissance fair.

"Doctor, this is incredible," exasperated Clara.

"I know, it's fantastic. You know what? Today's your day. Do whatever you want, it seems like everything is free. Makes sense since this only happens once every twelve years. I've got some business to run, got a friend I need to find and talk to. Ta ta." The Doctor leaped off and Clara could easily see him to trying to maneuver his way through the crowd. He stood out.

Ter-lake ran off with a few other children so Clara started to wander off on her own. The village was thick with people so she stayed close to the huts. She didn't visit any of the numerous stalls around. She sort of looked at everything and everyone. At one point, she even saw Ter-lake with the woman from yesterday, his mother. The mother was whispering to him and pointing at Clara. Ter-lake smiled and whispered something back. He caught Clara looking at them and he gave her a smile and an eager wave. Clara smiled and waved back.

She saw a group of people standing around a small band of flute players. She joined the group and enjoyed the performance.

The Doctor had a difficult time getting through the crowd of people. Eventually the road opened up more and he was able to move relatively freely. He took a moment to get his bearings and soon walked off in the direction of a huge collection of stalls.

He walked up to one with a familiar face. "Heryet, remember me from yesterday? You look lovely."

Heryet turned towards the Doctor, her purple eyes gleaming in the sunlight and her double-earlobe bouncing around on the side of her head. The sun also illuminated the different colors of skin on her face.

Her eyes lit up in recognition and she smiled at him. "Oh yes, Doctor No-Name. How are you enjoying the Solstice Day so far?"

"It's brilliant but I'm afraid I'm here on official business. I've got more questions for you."

Heryet quickly threw a small fruit to a child who had his hand out and then she turned back to the Doctor. "So many questions with you, why not just enjoy the day? Have a Fep." She held out a small green fruit that looked like a lime.

He took it and looked it over for a second before slipping it into his pocket and leaning against Heryet's stand. "I will, got all day but I didn't want to lose you in the crowd before I got to see you."

"Doctor, I have a family…"

The Doctor gave her a puzzled look and then, sprung up from the realization. "Wait...uh…no I…never mind…no. Not like that, it's just you said you've been here your whole life so you would know about the local area and the culture."

"Well, yes. What do you want to know?" Heryet found two boxes behind her stand and placed them on the ground. She sat on one and gestured for the Doctor to sit in the other which he did.

He leaned in close to her and whispered, "First off, what is the Cult of Feldor? What's their purpose what do they do? I know they 'speak to the volcano' but what does that mean?"

Heryet sighed and replied, "Well, I don't know what they do exactly. They stay very close to themselves and very distant from everyone else. They live up near the peak and worship the mountain I guess."

"But what's with the abductions? They took a young child the other day, ripped her away from her mother."

Heryet gave a deep sigh. "No one really knows…It's always a girl. Maybe they bring them in as new members…they take people at random so maybe every time one of the Cult dies…I don't know I'm afraid…I'm just glad I'm blessed with sons…they won't be taken from me…" She got up and went back to running her stall. She somberly handed out food to whoever asked for it but she didn't say a word.

After a few moments, the Doctor quietly got up and left, heading back towards Ter-lake's hut. For a moment, he stopped and looked up at the sun, squinting in at its brightness. He looked back down and walked away, pondering to himself.

Clara spent the rest of the day enjoying the music and tasting all the different foods of the planet. It was mostly a lot of fruits and pastries but she also had Shade meat which was surprisingly savory. She returned back to the hut as the day grew darker and more and more people started to leave and return to their huts.

She had seen Ter-lake go back home with his family, his mother looking back at her as they walked away. She gave her a small wave but the woman merely turned away.

Clara entered the hut and sat on the bed. Within seconds, the Doctor burst through the cloth door. He was covered in face paint and had a huge sack of food slung over his shoulder. "Evening Clara! Hope you had a wonderful time. Here, have a Fep!" He dug the crushed Fep from his pocket and tossed it at Clara, spraying her with the juice.

Clara stood up and examined the paint on the Doctor's face. There was no pattern to it. It looked like a group of toddlers had scribbled crayon all over his face.

"Doctor, did you let a group of children draw all over you face?"

"Yes, I asked them to make it like a Shade. How did it turn out?"

"It didn't." Clara pulled him over to the jug of water and showed him his reflection.

The Doctor smiled and said, "Well, it was still a good time. What about you?" He started splashing water on his face and rubbing away the paint. It came off easily but started staining his hands and dripping into the jug of water.

"I enjoyed the food and the music a lot. Learned some of the dances, was asked to dance by a few people, it was fun. Too bad we have to wait twelve years for the next one."

"Well…"

"I know, we have the TARDIS but still...what did you do?"

The Doctor grabbed one of the blankets on the cots and wiped off his face. "Well, let's see. Food, games, the face painting, found out the Cult regularly abducts girls from here…sounds like an average day for me actually."

"Wait…it's happened before and they know it will happen again? What's wrong then? Why don't they stop it?"

"I don't know Clara…people here just seem afraid…of the Cult especially. If we want answers, we'll have to talk to them. Thing is if we want to see them…"

"It means someone is getting taken…" Clara slowly sat down on the bed and sighed. The Doctor looked over at her and then went and sat on the bed next to her. He put an arm around her shoulder and whispered, "It'll be fine, we'll find out what's going on, and do what we can. I promise." He kissed her on the head and went into the other room.

Eventually, Clara lay down on the cot and soon drifted off to sleep. Luckily, there were no nightmares.


End file.
